The present invention comprises a new and distinctive chrysanthemum plant, hereinafter referred to by the cultivar name 92-296-25. This new cultivar was the result of a cross in 1989 between Dendranthema weyrichii and Dendranthemaxc3x97grandiflora. More specifically, the breeding program which resulted in the production of the new cultivar was carried out in St. Paul., Minn. The female or seed parent of 92-296-25 was Dendranthema weyrichii xe2x80x98Pink Bombxe2x80x99 (unpatented), commercially available from White Flower Farms, Conn. having the following characteristics: (a) the plant habit is prostrate and the plant spreads via rhizomes to form a large mat after the first year; (b) the plant has a diameter of about 1.5xe2x80x2 and is about 5-6xe2x80x3 tall; (c) the plant is hardy in zones 4-9 (Southeast)Zone 10 (west); (d) the flower of the plant is a single daisy, having light lavender-colored ray florets and central disc florets with yellow pollen; (e) the plant has leaves that are dark green in color, with a very shiny leaf surface (glossy), and glabrous leaf margins that are deeply incised, and (f) the plant tends to rosette, needs cold treatment to flower consistently, flowering can be sporadic with gaps in the plant architecture and the plant is an obligate short-day plant. The male or pollen parent of 92-296-25 was Dendranthemaxc3x97grandiflora, either xe2x80x98Crusaderxe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,531) or xe2x80x98Adornxe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,059) which is commercially available from Yoder Brothers, Inc., Barberton, Ohio or Pan American Plant Co. Both plants were adjacent to the female parent. xe2x80x98Crusaderxe2x80x99 and xe2x80x98Adornxe2x80x99 each have the following characteristics: (a) the plant habit is cushion; (b) the plant dimensions are similar to other cushion types commercially available from Yoder Brothers, Inc., such as, but not limited to, the variety xe2x80x98Montereyxe2x80x99; (c) the plants are hardy in zones 6-9 (Southeast)/Zone 10 (west); (d) the flower is a single or duplex daisy, lavender (xe2x80x98Crusaderxe2x80x99) or deep purple (xe2x80x98Adornxe2x80x99) in color, central disc florets with yellow pollen; (e) the plant has leaves that are similar to other Yoder Brothers, Inc. cushion series chrysanthemums; and (f) the plant is a faculative short-day plant. The resulting seed, identified as 90-287-145 was collected. In 1991, a plant of 90-287-145 was crossed as the male parent with plants identified as 83-267-3, a University of Minnesota Dendranthemaxc3x97grandiflora parental selection (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,884), as the female parent and the resulting seeds, identified as cross-number 92-296 (unpatented) were collected. In 1992, seedlings of the cross 92-296 were germinated and flowering progeny were evaluated. 92-296-25 was the twenty-fifth plant from the cross and was selected during the fall of 1992. The parentage of the new cultivar can be summarized as follows:
[Dendranthemaxc3x97grandiflora]xc3x97(Dendranthema weyrichiixc3x97Dendranthemaxc3x97grandiflora). 
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal or stem cuttings taken during 1993 through 1999 at St. Paul, Minn., U.S.A. has demonstrated that the characteristics of the new cultivar as herein described are firmly fixed and are retained through successive generations of such asexual propagation.
It was found that the cultivar of the present invention:
(a) Exhibits extreme hybrid vigor,
(b) Develops, in its second and subsequent years after planting, when grown in the fall under natural daylength and without the application of growth regulators, into a flowering herbaceous shrub having a plant height of from about 2.5 to about 3.0 feet and a spread from about 3.0 to about 7.0 feet,
(c) Exhibits, in its second and subsequent years after planting and during the fall season (August-October), a massive floral display,
(d) Displays flowers which are singly toned with grey, giving the flower petals a slightly altered coloration,
(e) Exhibits superior winter hardiness, including frost tolerance, and
(f) Exhibits self-pinching.
The 92-296-25 cultivar has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions to date. Accordingly, it is possible that the phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in the environment, such as temperature, light intensity, and day length.
When the new cultivar of the present invention is compared to xe2x80x98Emilyxe2x80x99 (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 7,754), it is found to exhibit a more spreading and prolific habit accompanied with a massive floral display in its second and subsequent years after planting. Reference is made to attached Table 1 which compares certain characteristics of 92-296-25 to xe2x80x98Emilyxe2x80x99.
The new cultivar of the present invention is distinguished from its parents by its shrub-like growth in the second and successive years of growth, its superior winter hardiness, frost tolerance, and tendency to attract butterflies. Its parents (830267-3 and 90-287-145) were cushion in habit.